Wikis working for media

There have been several attempts by media to harness the beast of the wiki. It appears that so far the wiki has eluded mainstream publishers. It’s just proved too unweildy and scary for those that like to call themselves “the gatekeepers”.

Of course, the most famous of all attempts by a publisher to use a wiki was the LA Times wiki-editorial experiment that eventually degenerated into pornography. Publishers just haven’t been able to find the magic ingredient that makes the mother of all wikis, the famous Wikipedia, one of the most successful sites in the world.

So it’s with interest that I stumbled on Wired magazine’s “How to” wiki. I only noticed the wiki now, despite being a regular reader of Wired’s site and magazine — but it’s been around for while. Importantly, it hasn’t degenerated into nonsense. Wired.com have obviously found a way to make it work, but also keep it in line with their editorial principles.

How, I wonder? Maybe it’s because they are a niche player (technology site) or perhaps they have a strong, watchful community behind it, which, of course, is wikipedia’s secret.

Matthew Buckland: Publisher

Matthew Buckland is an internet entrepreneur and investor with more than 20 years’ experience working in management and strategic roles for internet and technology businesses. His specialisation is internet and digital media, marketing and content.
He founded the digital marketing and strategy agency Creative Spark which he sold in 2015, five years after he founded it, to UK-listed firm M&C Saatchi PLC. After an earn-out of approximately 3 years, Matthew eventually exited his company in 2018, taking a division of the company, Burn Media, with him. He currently runs the Burn Media Group -- a grouping of technology publishing brands which report on emerging markets: Memeburn.com, Ventureburn.com, Gearburn.com and others.
Matthew is EIR to the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a New York and Prague-based global media fund, helping its investees with digital strategy and business models in a range of countries. The MDIF has invested more than $166-million in over 114 independent businesses in 39 countries.